Laguna Niguel, CA. . . The National Archives and Records Administration announces
the selection of Aardex Corporation of Lakewood, CO, as the developer for its
new Pacific Region Records Center in Perris, CA. The facility will have a footprint
of over 183,000 square feet and a storage capacity for 850,000 cubic feet of
Federal records. It will employ over 40 National Archives staff members and
will process a projected 750,000 reference requests per year.

The new, state-of-the-art facility will replace the National Archives' aging
records center building in Laguna Niguel, CA. The efficient design of the new
building, combined with its location in Riverside County, will significantly
reduce operating costs for this region, while improving records center services.
The facility will also provide space for future electronic records projects
that will enable the National Archives to rise to the challenges of electronic
media storage for its Federal customers.

The Perris facility will comply fully with the provisions of 36 CFR 1228, Subpart
K, the regulation that sets facility standards to ensure protection of Federal
records from threats such as fire, theft, pests, water damage, and natural disasters.
Commenting on the contract, National Archives Pacific Regional Administrator
Shirley Burton stated, "The National Archives' venture with Aardex Corporation
will enable us to serve both internal and external NARA customers in ways that
have never been available in the southern California market."

Once completed, the new center will store records for use by over 80 Federal
agencies and courts located in the Pacific Region (Arizona, southern California,
and Clark County, Nevada). Significant holdings include Federal records created
by regional U.S. District/Bankruptcy Courts, the Internal Revenue Service, the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Housing and
Urban Development, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Homeland
Security, the Department of Justice, the Indian Health Service, U.S. Navy (District),
and U.S. Attorneys.

Founded in 1983, Aardex Corporation has provided build-to-suit facilities throughout
the western United States. Their projects include buildings occupied by over
a dozen Federal agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service, the National
Park Service, and the Social Security Administration. Aardex President Rick
Butler stated, "We are pleased to have been selected for this partnership with
the National Archives, and look forward to the challenge of developing a cost-
and user-effective facility designed and built to advance the National Archives'
mission."

The new Records Center will bring new jobs into the area and will generate
approximately $2 million for the local economy each year. National Archives
officials also hope that the Perris complex will be a focal point for other
business developments, and a possible harbinger of increased Federal interest
in the area.

For press information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs Staff at
301-837-1700.